Instructions: Have an advance study of social stratification and answer the following

questions. Submit/Upload your answers in the existing google drive link for the subject.

1.What is social stratification?

● Social stratification refers to a society’s categorization of its people into
rankings based on factors like wealth, income, education, family background, and
power. It is the differentiation of a given population into hierarchically superposed
classes. It is manifested in the existence of upper and lower social layers. Its
basis and very essence consist in an unequal distribution of rights and privileges,
duties and responsibilities, social values and privations, social power and
influences among the members of a society.

2. Describe social inequality.

● Social inequality is the condition of unequal access to the benefits and rights of
society. In a purely equal society, every citizen is equally able to contribute to the
overall well being of that society, and they are equally able to benefit from their
membership within that society. It also refer to the unequal distribution of, and
unequal access to, highly valued and desired material and nonmaterial social
goods. Social inequalities imply systematic advantages and disadvantages in life
chances, living conditions, opportunity structures, and life outcomes of
individuals and social groups.

3. What are the determinants of social stratification?

● Some factors that determine a person’s social standing are wealth, family
background, income, occupational structure, race, power, and education.

4. Identify and describe the different social systems

● There are different social systems such as
○ The Caste System
■ Caste systems are closed stratification systems in which people
can do little or nothing to change their social standing. A caste
system is one in which people are born into their social standing
and will remain in it their whole lives.
○ The Class System
■ A class system is based on both social factors and individual
achievement. A class consists of a set of people who share similar
status with regard to factors like wealth, income, education, and
occupation. Unlike caste systems, class systems are open.
 ○ Meritocracy
■ Meritocracy is an ideal system based on the belief that social
stratification is the result of personal effort—or merit—that
determines social standing. High levels of effort will lead to a high
social position, and vice versa.

5. Relate India’s caste system and US class system.

● Both the caste system in India and the class system in the United States are
based on levels of wealth and are designed to benefit people in higher social
classes or who have more money. In contrast to the caste system, which allows
members of the top and lower classes to change their financial situation without
also altering class difference, the US system is becoming less and less mobile.
Another distinction is that the US system is not founded on religion, but India's is.

6. Why meritocracy is the best social system?

● Meritocratic Equality of Opportunity opposes arbitrary discrimination since it does
not have to depend on criteria like race or gender to determine who is the best or
most deserving applicant.

7. How social stratification and gender stratification varies?

● In social stratification, it stratified members of Society based on their
socio-economic status, race, class, ethnicity, religion, ability status, and gender.
This means that gender stratification is under social stratification. It occurs when
gender differences give men greater privilege and power over women,
transgender, and gender-non-conforming people.

For Further Research: The New York Times investigated social stratification in their
series of articles called “Class Matters.” The online accompaniment to the series
includes an interactive graphic called “How Class Works,” which tallies four
factors—occupation, education, income, and wealth—and places an individual within a
certain class and percentile. What class describes you?

References:
https://openstax.org/books/introduction-sociology-3e/pages/9-1-what-is-social-stratificati
on
https://onlinedegrees.nku.edu/articles/sociology/what-is-social-stratification.aspx